About

Chez Panisse Caf�, located in Berkeley, California, offers a wide range of French cuisine in an upscale casual atmosphere. The caf� setting and fresh food provide a comfortable place for a date or dinner meeting. Chez Panisse Caf� has a full bar which mostly features an extensive wine selection.

Try the carrot and rutabaga soup to start out your meal at Chez Panisse Caf�. The menu changes often in order to provide the best that the market has to offer but choose from dinner options like the crispy rockfish with celery root puree or the autumn greens and ricotta ravioli.

We moved to SF from the east bay many years ago so don't get to CP as often as we used to. We did go fordinner several months ago and were disappointed with a lackluster meal. But at the request of out of town guests we went back today for lunch and had the kind of meal that made this iconic place a longtime favorite. Every course we each had was fantastic....in creativity, presentation, and most of all flavor. Everything about our lunch was as good as it gets. Now we'll make a point of getting back there more often as few if any places in the City come close.

Every detail was as expected. Our reservation for 4 was 8:15pm; we arrived a few minutes early and were seated exactly on time. The meal de jour was a light bean & pasta and included nice greens and a very nice dessert.

The others in my party had fish, chicken, and steak entrees and all were pleased.

Magnificent lunch. My 14 year old son said it was the best lunch he has ever experienced. I took my father (80), daughter(10) and son to lunch on a Wednesday. Every dish was superb. Clean plates for every course a testament to that. The simple ingredients in every dish, so well thought out and unique but so fitting and delicious. It went above all of our expectations. we will be back very soon!!! Fried sage leaves on the chicken to die for. Our waiter was so great, attentive but not overbearing and even brought me a to go box of some of the perfectly salted delicate sage leaves to share with my husband. AMAZING!!!

The service was highly attentive, the decor was simple yet elegant, and of course the food was superb! The one drawback to our experience: at the table next to us, the couple's 8-year-old was drawing all over the (paper) tablecloth, which detracts greatly from the view and ambiance for others.

We've been going to Chez Panisse for years and it has always received 5 stars until this time. The service is still exemplary but the food missed the mark on a couple of items and it was particularly noisy. The curry soup was underseasoned and tepid. The meatballs were advertised as spicy but were far from and actually also lacked seasoning. The eggplant salad was excellent but there were very few actual eggplants. The pesto pasta was the highlight. We may be nitpicking but when you are Chez Panisse, this really missed the mark. We'll of course give it another try.

This was my first time at Chez Panisse. Both my husband and I were amazed by the food, the service was impeccable, and the wine selection perfect. Loved the craftsman look. The portions were good and the price acceptable. We will be returning.

Brought my adult children and their partners to celebrate wife's birthday. I have not been to Chez Panisse in 20 years, but their reputation is still great as witnessed by the difficulty in securing reservations. All of our dishes were special, perhaps the meatballs being the least so. The fish and the duck were terrific. I savored the veggies with a corn souffle. Everything here is about quality and simplicity and I appreciated that much more as I have gotten older. The wines were also outstanding. The service was first-class and attentive. All in all, we had a great dining experience.

The place was lovely. The gentleman who greeted us was incredibly gracious and found us a perfect table. Then our server came and he quickly marred the entire experience. He was pretentious, arrogant, inattentive and generally unhelpful. The food was excellent and everyone else was lovely I just think he either needs a new line of work or it was a bad day.

We were at Chez Panisse for my husband's birthday. It has been our favorite restaurant for over 20 years. And, the experience has always exceeded our expectations. The food is consistently delicious with an excellent wait staff. We usually go during the week for lunch and have never had a problem getting a reservation.

Out of many meals in the past year at places at a similar level, my two favorites were Chez Panisse Cafe and Trattoria Corso. Every other meal, someone would have ordered differently in hindsight. At both of these meals, we could have played musical chairs and everyone would have been thrilled with their new dinner. That's hard.

This pairing makes a great case study in French versus Italian. Both meals realized amazing flavors. The Italian meal was passion over technique, or an advocate might claim the best Italian technique is transparent. The French meal featured impeccable technique. Ask how the salmon was cooked; I have considerable French training for a home cook, and I was surprised.

Chez Panisse Cafe is "supposed" to be good. I'm surprised that Trattoria Corso doesn't review higher, and is so easy to reserve. Likely this is reputation lag and a new cook?

Chez Panisse service is in its own league; many three star restaurants in France have less fun offering stiffer and less attentive service. Fear of Michelin?

Also rans nearly in the same league, but always with at least one dish one wouldn't order again: A16, Enoteca Molinari.

I've been going to Chez P. since the '70's and it has gone through noticeable changes. It is no longer a cutting-edge experience or even a great place for California cuisine. My friend and I ate at the Cafe, whose noise level is expected. Space between the tables worked well so we could hear each other. Our waitress was knowledgeable and helpful in finding my friend a wine she liked, and she loved her meal of salmon. Unfortunately my duck confit arrived too soon and was very over-salted (too much salty brine?) and the pommel frites were greasy and also too salty. While I realize I should have told the waitress, I didn't want to delay our meal and convey disappointment to my friend. The best part of the meal for both of us was the wonderful apricot tart. We weren't asked if we wanted coffee or tea. Overall, Chez P. is another good place to eat with spotty service/dishes that can be wonderful with a bit more attention.